Here's my latest mock draft for NEPD; let me know what you think! The draft order is based on ESPN's power rankings, and no draft-eligible sophomores are included.

October 11th Mock Draft

1. Jacksonville Jaguars – QB Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville*

Blaine Gabbert currently holds a 36.0 quarterback rating through the three games he’s appeared in thus far this season; he’s completing less than half of his passes.

2. New York Giants – DE Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina*

Typically a strength of the Giants in the past, the team’s pass rush has stagnated in 2013, with Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka lacking success in that area.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – LB Anthony Barr, UCLA

If head coach Greg Schiano is able to keep his job, adding a dynamic pass rusher like Barr may make more sense than scrapping the Mike Glennon experiment.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers – OT Jake Matthews, Texas A&M

Considered something of a bargain at the time, Pittsburgh’s selection of Mike Adams in 2012 has been a disaster, with him having been relegated to a bench role.

5. Minnesota Vikings – QB Tajh Boyd, Clemson

Christian Ponder’s grasp on the starting job moving forwards is tenuous at best, with six turnovers through three games this season and a recently-sustained rib injury.

6. St. Louis Rams (from Redskins) – LB C.J. Mosley, Alabama

Although Taylor Lewan would make an attractive bookend opposite left tackle Jake Long, Joseph Barksdale has actually been surprisingly effective on the right.

7. Carolina Panthers – WR Sammy Watkins, Clemson*

Given the way that Jordan Gross is playing, the Panthers may be able to get away with temporarily postponing the offensive tackle position in favor of a receiver.

8. St. Louis Rams – FS Ha’Sean Clinton-Dix, Alabama*

Despite being suspended from the team recently, Clinton-Dix remains the front-runner to be the first defensive back drafted given the league’s recent emphasis on the position.

9. Oakland Raiders – DT Louis Nix, Notre Dame*

A cornerback would be nice, but Bradley Roby’s recent struggles make investing in a foundational defensive lineman like Nix a better value at this point in the draft.

10. Buffalo Bills – OT Cyrus Kouandjio, Alabama*

Right tackle Erik Pears was recently exposed at Cleveland, creating an opening for a massive, nimble tackle to stabilize the offensive line opposite Cordy Glenn.

11. Atlanta Falcons – OT Taylor Lewan, Michigan

There’s no way Lewan should have slid this far down the board, greatly benefiting an Atlanta team which has received little to no protection for quarterback Matt Ryan.

12. Philadelphia Eagles – CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Oregon*

Through four weeks, the Eagles rank 30th in the league in pass defense, with incumbent starter Bradley Fletcher’s injury history creating concerns about his viability.

13. San Diego Chargers – CB Jason Verrett, Texas Christian

It’s too early to call recent free agent signing Derek Cox a miss, but the team still needs to find a starter opposite him, as the three options on roster are underwhelming.

14. Arizona Cardinals – LB Khalil Mack, Buffalo

The offensive line still needs plenty of attention, but a linebacker could also be in play given John Abraham’s age and lack of effectiveness as a stand-up edge rusher.

15. New York Jets – WR Marqise Lee, Southern California*

It wasn’t cost-effective for the Jets to part ways with Santonio Holmes this past offseason, but they can save over $8 million by releasing him prior to the 2014 season.

16. Houston Texans – OT Cameron Erving, Florida St.*

Derek Newton, who has started at right tackle since 2012, has been disastrous enough over that span to warrant investing a first-round pick in securing his replacement.

17. Cleveland Browns – OG Cyril Richardson, Baylor

Shawn Lauvao was a major liability at right guard last season, but his replacement this year, Oniel Cousins, has been even worse, creating a gaping hole on the line.

18. Tennessee Titans – OT Antonio Richardson, Tennessee*

This probably isn’t an ideal draft position for the Titans, but they are nevertheless able to secure a long-term replacement for 31 year-old right tackle David Stewart.

19. Miami Dolphins – TE Eric Ebron, North Carolina*

Charles Clay is a respectable option at tight end, but the Dolphins could provide quarterback Ryan Tannehill with a better one by selecting Ebron, an elite athlete.

20. Detroit Lions – WR Brandon Coleman, Rutgers*

Other than Calvin Johnson, the Lions wideout with the most snaps played on the season is Kris Durham, hardly a desirable option that would prevent drafting another target.

21. Dallas Cowboys – LB Ryan Shazier, Ohio St.*

What was seemingly a perfect marriage of skills and scheme at linebacker went wrong, as Bruce Carter has been benched by the Cowboys, opening the door for Shazier.

22. Green Bay Packers – CB Antone Exum, Virginia Tech

Exum is recovering from microfracture surgery, but if he passes medical checks, he’s the type of confident, feisty player the Packers could use, particularly as a safety option.

23. Baltimore Ravens – OG Gabe Jackson, Mississippi St.

There are a wealth of options available to Baltimore here, with Jackson getting the edge for his ability to protect Joe Flacco as well as help reinvigorate a stagnating run game.

24. Cincinnati Bengals – LB Kyle Van Noy, Brigham Young

The decision to sign James Harrison for the strongside linebacker role indicated Cincinnati’s intent on finding an effective edge rusher for their creative fronts.

25. Chicago Bears – LB Christian Jones, Florida St.

Drafting a traditional 4-3 linebacker like Jones may not be the flashiest option, but it should provide Chicago with a versatile, rangy long-term starter at linebacker.

26. San Francisco 49ers – CB Bradley Roby, Ohio St.*

A string of underwhelming performances have temporarily caused Roby’s draft stock to plummet, but he could easily rebound and become the first cornerback selected.

27. New England Patriots – DT Ra’Shede Hageman, Minnesota

At 6’6” and 311 pounds, Hageman has the versatility to play in either a three-or-four-man front, allowing head coach Bill Belichick to rearrange his defenders however he sees fit.

28. Cleveland Browns (from Colts) – CB Loucheiz Purifoy, Florida*

Buster Skrine is a talented, respectable boundary cornerback, but it's possible that Cleveland would be interested in further bolstering their secondary with another Florida product.

29. Seattle Seahawks – TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Washington*

Zach Miller has caught just eight passes so far this season, meaning the Seahawks could potentially be interested in taking a chance on Seferian-Jenkins late in the first.

30. Kansas City Chiefs – DE Stephon Tuitt, Notre Dame*

Kansas City’s defense has been playing better than anticipated this season, but they could still use another five-technique if Tyson Jackson departs in free agency.

31. New Orleans Saints – DE Trent Murphy, Stanford

A strong value at this point, Murphy is a massive pass rusher who has played both defensive end and outside linebacker during his time with the Cardinal.

32. Denver Broncos – DT Anthony Johnson, Louisiana St.*

Sylvester Williams is seen as the team’s nose tackle of the future, but Kevin Vickerson is far from an ideal starting option at the three-technique position opposite him.

Phins827

10-11-2013 11:49 AM

OT for Miami please. OL needs to be completely redone

Matthew Jones

10-11-2013 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phins827
(Post 3470045)

OT for Miami please. OL needs to be completely redone

It's not that I disagree, but based on my research thus far, there aren't any offensive tackles worth drafting in the first round outside of the ones who were selected before.

vidae

10-11-2013 12:13 PM

I like the KC pick and the reasoning is dead on. I'm kinda hoping he stays, but who knows what will happen.

keylime_5

10-11-2013 12:17 PM

we do need a guard (God, hopefully not in round 1) but Oniel Cousins only started because Shawn Lauvao missed a few games and Jason Pinkston is hurt too. Lauvao is back now.

49erNation85

10-11-2013 12:39 PM

Nice pick for sf.

Brown Leader

10-11-2013 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keylime_5
(Post 3470061)

we do need a guard (God, hopefully not in round 1) but Oniel Cousins only started because Shawn Lauvao missed a few games and Jason Pinkston is hurt too. Lauvao is back now.

Forget that. Where's the reasoning for no QB?

BallerT1215

10-11-2013 01:22 PM

I like the pick for Buffalo but CB opposite of Gilmore might be a higher priority.

D-Unit

10-11-2013 02:05 PM

I don't see Shaz as the best fit for Dallas. Unless, is he an elite cover LB? Carter was benched out of nickel packages but not in the base defense. Everyone should know that we need a DT or FS. Maybe OG since Brian Waters is like nearing 40.

Pat Sims 90

10-11-2013 03:08 PM

James Harrison is hardly on the field. The Bengals need a LB they can bring in on nickel packages.

Matthew Jones

10-11-2013 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brown Leader
(Post 3470104)

Forget that. Where's the reasoning for no QB?

For me, it was about value. Maybe Zach Mettenberger would sneak into the first, but I guess I'm not fully convinced yet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BallerT1215
(Post 3470133)

I like the pick for Buffalo but CB opposite of Gilmore might be a higher priority.

I agree, but I don't know that any cornerbacks have really established themselves as being worthy of a top-ten pick.

Quote:

Originally Posted by D-Unit
(Post 3470179)

I don't see Shaz as the best fit for Dallas. Unless, is he an elite cover LB? Carter was benched out of nickel packages but not in the base defense. Everyone should know that we need a DT or FS. Maybe OG since Brian Waters is like nearing 40.

Who would you draft, though?

ChicagoBearsVet23

10-11-2013 04:08 PM

realistic pick for the bears as our gm likes to reach..but 2 major needs are dline and cb. i'd go hageman or roby.

scottyboy

10-11-2013 06:44 PM

Coleman and megatron together would be absurd. matt Stafford would just throw lob/jump balls all day

_YL_

10-12-2013 12:18 AM

CB would make no sense for Oakland. Not back to back fist round picks on CB's.

You made the right choice. Nix would be a great choice fills a huge need and gives Oakland a talented DT to build around with Houston.

T-RICH49

10-12-2013 01:18 AM

solid KC pick

RaiderNation

10-12-2013 11:20 AM

I'd take Marqise Lee over Nix, we need pass rush on the dline

Babylon

10-12-2013 12:51 PM

I've got Houston taking Johnny Manziel.

Seattle. Would like to see them add some to the wr corps as i don't see Sidney Rice being around too much longer. Former Russell Wilson teammate, Jared Abbrederis, would be a nice addition.

Matthew Jones

10-12-2013 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Babylon
(Post 3470696)

I've got Houston taking Johnny Manziel.

Seattle. Would like to see them add some to the wr corps as i don't see Sidney Rice being around too much longer. Former Russell Wilson teammate, Jared Abbrederis, would be a nice addition.

I probably would have had the same pick for Houston, but I didn't include redshirt sophomores in the mock. Wide receiver makes some sense for the Seahawks, but I'm not sure who it'd be. Allen Robinson? Jordan Matthews? Adding a receiving option like Sefarian-Jenkins will still boost the passing game while also taking advantage of the draft's depth at receiver relative to tight end.

Babylon

10-12-2013 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthew Jones
(Post 3470705)

I probably would have had the same pick for Houston, but I didn't include redshirt sophomores in the mock. Wide receiver makes some sense for the Seahawks, but I'm not sure who it'd be. Allen Robinson? Jordan Matthews? Adding a receiving option like Sefarian-Jenkins will still boost the passing game while also taking advantage of the draft's depth at receiver relative to tight end.

I'm sort of assuming the Sefarian-Jenkins will be gone by then. Abbrederis convinced me he was the real thing off his game against Roby of OSU.

twiz

10-14-2013 01:13 AM

Yea Browns aren't leaving the first without a QB. At the very least I'd expect them to take Mariota or Hundley after Bridgewater, who I know you didn't include, but still..

villagewarrior

10-14-2013 02:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vidae
(Post 3470057)

I like the KC pick and the reasoning is dead on. I'm kinda hoping he stays, but who knows what will happen.

Now that T-Jax isn't having to live up to being the 3rd overall pick he's actually been pretty good. I wouldn't mind him sticking around. I think Tuitt would be the best option available in that situation regardless of whether the Chiefs retain Tyson Jackson. A Jackson-Poe-Tuitt defensive line is deadly.

The Chiefs should probably focus more on the offense though. They have a dreadful lack of offensive skill that needs to be addressed.

Matthew Jones

10-14-2013 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twiz
(Post 3471962)

Yea Browns aren't leaving the first without a QB. At the very least I'd expect them to take Mariota or Hundley after Bridgewater, who I know you didn't include, but still..

Really the only guy I could imagine them drafting in this situation would be Mettenberger, although like you said, if Mariota or Hundley were available, those would be logical targets as well.

Trogdor

10-14-2013 07:27 AM

Holy overreaction batman! Bruce Carter loses nickel snaps to Ernie Sims (NOT his starting spot in base) so you want to draft a replacement? He's a former 2nd rounder on one of the most stacked units on the Cowboys.

Quote:

Originally Posted by D-Unit
(Post 3470179)

I don't see Shaz as the best fit for Dallas. Unless, is he an elite cover LB? Carter was benched out of nickel packages but not in the base defense. Everyone should know that we need a DT or FS. Maybe OG since Brian Waters is like nearing 40.

Yep...

Aim for a DT, DE, or S on defense. Or RG on offense.

Personally I'd take Hageman without thinking twice here. Capable of playing both the 3-tech and 1-tech roles and would thrive under Marinelli's coaching.